1. Narcissistic traits as predictors of emotional problems in children with oppositional defiant disorder: A longitudinal study.
- Author
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Muratori P, Milone A, Levantini V, Pisano S, Spensieri V, Valente E, Thomaes S, and Masi G
- Subjects
- Child, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Narcissism, Self Concept, Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders diagnosis, Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders epidemiology, Problem Behavior
- Abstract
Background: Children's self-views encompass two independent dimensions: self-esteem and narcissism, which recently have received growing attention from researchers and clinicians. The current study sought to test whether these dimensions might predict the developmental course of children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder diagnosis., Method: The sample (N = 64, M age = 10.1 years, 57 boys) included children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder diagnosis. We examined longitudinal relationships between self-views (both self-esteem and narcissism) and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems., Results: The study spanned two time-points, spaced 12 months apart. None of the predictors were longitudinally associated with the levels of externalizing behavioral problems in children. However, narcissism predicted the levels of children's internalizing problems at the follow-up, whereas self-esteem did not., Limitations: The relatively small sample and the lack of assessing causality limit the generalizability of the findings. Results need to be replicated in larger samples., Conclusions: These findings illustrate the value of taking into account children's narcissistic traits in clinical assessment. By broadening knowledge of narcissistic traits in clinical samples of children, we hope to inform assessment procedures in standard clinical practice, as well as the development of tailored interventions to curb the emergence of later negative outcomes related to childhood narcissism, such as internalizing problems., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest Dr. Masi was on the advisory boards for Eli Lilly, Shire and Angelini. He has received research grants from Eli Lilly and Shire, and has been speaker for Eli Lilly, Shire, Lundbeck, FB and Otsuka. None of the other authors have conflicts of interest to declare. Ethical standards: The authors assert that all procedures contributing to this work comply with the ethical standards of the relevant national and institutional committees on human experimentation and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2008., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)
- Published
- 2020
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